After missing a critical phone call with Nasty Gal and dealing with a boyfriend breakup, Demi Marchese felt a bit lost…but really… it was a new beginning.

Demi decided to start her own little venture by selling vintage “thrasher” shorts in her mom’s kitchen. The endeavor quickly turned into building 12th Tribe, which (three years later) generates over a million dollars in revenue. And guess what? She is only 25 years old!

I recently became fast friends with my guest, Holly Dowling, and you’ll totally understand why when you listen in to today’s show. Holly has an infectious energy and insightful pearls of wisdom.

As a dynamic award-winning keynote speaker and inspirational thought-leader, Holly has addressed over 250,000 people in Fortune 500 companies around the world. Not to mention, she has impacted the hearts and minds of millions with her “A Celebration of You” podcast (I was a guest a few months ago, so I hope you listen in!).

On today’s show, Holly talks about how she started her entrepreneurial journey by following a news article she saw in the paper when she was a stay-at-home mom, how she became an inspirational thought leader, and much more.

My guest today, Alyza Bohbot, has some serious moxie. After taking the reins of her family business, Alyza was searching for a way to differentiate her coffee company while connecting with women. What she discovered along the way was surprising and out of that discovery, City Girl Coffee was born. Besides being seriously good coffee, City Girl’s mission is tied to women’s empowerment in the coffee trade industry where women do more than 70% of the work in the fields but rarely get any financial control.

City Girl Coffee sources as many beans as possible from women coffee farmers throughout the world and a portion of every sale goes right back to support women’s organizations worldwide.

Featured in Forbes, Delta Sky Magazine, Better Homes and Gardens, and Star Tribune, Alyza has been named one of Minnesota’s “Women Who Lead.” She’s also a recipient of the Minneapolis Business Journal’s 2017 “40 Under 40” Award.

I knew if I cared about this then the likelihood of other people caring about this was probably pretty significant. It really was something that I felt strongly about since conception.” – Alyza Bohbot

Show Notes:

The SHOCKING discovery that led Alyza to birth City Girl Coffee

TIPS on how to gain traction in the saturated food and beverage product industry

WHY Alyza GIVES BACK through her business

Her BEST Business action steps

ADVICE on cash flow in a seasonal business

What Alyza did instead of GIVING UP at a time when she faced a huge challenge

The ONE Thing She Focuses on

Her BEST productivity Tips

Never think that you have all the answers. Never think that you know it all. Because you never know what little tidbit of information might just be the key piece that turns your business and takes it into a completely new trajectory that you never knew existed.” – Alyza Bohbot

Connect with Alyza Bohbot:

“By coming out and from the get-go really making people understand that what we’re doing is much larger than just a coffee company, that was enough to get us that initial publicity and initial media attention.” – Alyza Bohbot

Happy Valentine’s Day! In honor of the holiday, I wanted to share some love and talk about something that’s been on my mind for a while when it comes to women entrepreneurs. There are two sides to every business: The practical side and the emotional side.

There is a lot of great information available on the practical side of entrepreneurship, but the emotional side rarely gets the time and attention it deserves and this is key to your business growth & personal happiness.

Take a look at these five unconscious emotional triggers, decide which ones you’re tolerating in your life, and set a deadline to eliminate these from your life.” – Joy Chudacoff

Show Notes:

The REASON you may feel powerless at times in your business even though you are the owner

Why you feel EXHAUSTED all the time and what to do about it

Why it may be time to CHANGE your audience

WHY what you discussed at your family dinner table growing up could be hurting your business now

HOW perfectionism can have your business circling the drain fast

I say ‘unconscious’ and I use the word ‘trigger’ because so much of the time you don’t even realize that it is happening. OR you realize it is happening and you’re frustrated. It is something that you’re tolerating, but you don’t realize the toll that it is having on your business.” – Joy Chudacoff

Cathy Deano was looking for “something to do” post Hurricane Katrina in Louisiana. After befriending the co-room mom in her son’s kindergarten class, the two women purchased some art supplies and hosted an art class in Cathy’s barn behind her home. What happened after that first class is quite remarkable.

With 340 franchise locations nationwide (& growing!) and now a multi-million dollar operation, Painting With a Twist is the #1 Franchise in its category.

What I think you’ll pick up on is Cathy’s brilliant ‘simplicity’ on how she and her partner Renee, grew the franchise so organically.

You’ll love this episode. Cathy is funny and her advice is down to earth with not to be missed gold nuggets. Be sure to listen all the way to the end. The gold nuggets keep coming right up until the recording stops!

Kara Goldin, Founder and CEO of Hint Water, had given birth to her third child, lost some of the baby weight, but still found herself carrying an extra 55 pounds AND she had a serious diet soda addiction (10-12 cans a day). After seeing a physician who said he could give her a “pill” to “fix her situation,” Kara declined and decided to ditch the diet soda instead. What happened after that decision is nothing short of miraculous.

Kara has always been an incredible Moxie woman. Before starting Hint, she led AOL to a $1 billion enterprise as vice president of shopping and e-commerce partnerships. Kara is also an active speaker and writer. In 2016, she launched “The Kara Network” which is a digital resource and mentoring program for established and aspiring entrepreneurs.

She has been named Fast Company’s “Most Creative People in Business,” one of Fortune’s “Most Powerful Women Entrepreneurs,” Forbes “40 Women to Watch Over 40,” EY’s “Entrepreneur of the Year 2017 Northern California,” on top of many more amazing recognitions.

You’ll love this show. Kara is quite humorous and at one point I’m laughing so hard I have tears coming out of my eyes!

I really believed that buyers needed to catch up to where I was at prior to us really blowing this thing up. But also, the consumers really needed to catch up and there was a huge component around education that really needed to happen.” – Kara Goldin

Show Notes:

How befriending a store clerk at Whole Foods was a major coup

The TWO pieces of news she shared with her hubby that catapulted growth – literally!

Her BEST action steps to create a multi-million dollar fruit infused water product

WHY she said NO to Walmart

The ONE thing she had to cross off her list before giving birth to her 4th child – this segment is hilarious and gives you real insight into her determination

The POWER of relationships – you can hear this thread all through the interview

What happened when an executive from “the real thing” called her “sweetie”

How she stays PRODUCTIVE being a CEO of a fast-paced company and raising four children

And much, much more!

If we could actually get people to enjoy water again, whether it is bottled water or tap water then we could actually change health in America.” – Kara Goldin

Connect with Kara Goldin:

When somebody was so negative about what I was doing, I really saw it as ’here’s an opportunity. The opportunity is there. This guy is really not going to go into it anytime soon, so it really gives me a chance to develop it’.” – Kara Goldin

If you’re someone who has thought about “social selling” or “network marketing,” then you’re going to be excited about my guest today, Tysh Mefferd. Tysh is a Double Diamond Director with Stella & Dot, a social selling company that sells jewelry, handbags, clothing, and other accessories for women (They actually had to create a NEW title for Tysh because she shattered all their sales quotas.) Tysh is currently the #1 Top Earner in the company earning over 100K in the month of November 2017.

Before Stella & Dot, Tysh had a thriving business in the wedding industry. Her whole life shifted when Hurricane Ike hit Texas in 2008. Tysh originally became a stylist with Stella & Dot as a side gig to help pay off some bills, but it quickly turned into something bigger. Tysh currently leads a team of over 9,000 stylists globally.

I’m so excited for you to hear from Tysh as she explains more about network marketing, when you should get involved, her tips to break into the industry, her productivity tips, her dreams and goals, and why she loves her flexible work schedule.

When Angela Sutherland was pregnant with her first child, she discovered that the options for healthy, tasty, nutrient and dense baby food didn’t exist. Initially, it was a scary thought, but she saw opportunity which led to her partnering with good friend Evelyn Rusli and launching Yumi.

Yumi is a nutrition & wellness based company providing quality meals for the first 1,000 days of your child’s life. Yumi meals are fresh, organic, packed with nutrition and delivered RIGHT TO YOUR FRONT DOOR.

Both Co-Founders of Yumi are a force to be reckoned with. Angela Sutherland, the CEO and Co-Founder of Yumi, was formerly an investment banker at Goldman Sacks and is skilled at businesses and operations. Evelyn Rusli, the President and Co-Founder of Yumi, previously was a journalist at the Wall Street Journal and the New York Times covering startups and innovation.

On today’s show, Angela and Evelyn talk about the best action step they’ve taken so far in their company and it is spot on. They talk about how to scale accurately as they move across the country, and what they hold onto in their tough days. Also, Angela and Evelyn share their biggest challenges in business and a whole lot more.

Betsy Myers was a senior advisor to two U.S. presidents, most recently the COO of Obama’s presidential campaign and the chair of Women for Obama. Currently, she is the Founding Director of the Center or Women in Business at Bentley University. A leading expert, author, and advocate, Betsy also speaks at conferences and workshops around the world on the changing nature of leadership.

Betsy’s book, Take the Lead: Motivate, Inspire, and Bring out the Best in Yourself and Everyone Around You continues to be the basis of her work in the corporate, political, and higher education arena.

On today’s show, Betsy speaks real, raw truth about how being highly visible and the COO of Obama’s campaign was like drinking water through a fire hose. She did it all while being a mom for her small child at the same time. Betsy gives her true opinion of the Women’s March that happened in January 2017, and she gets open, honest, and real about some of her recent challenging life events.

I’m so excited for you to hear what Betsy is up to in terms of moving and shaking the women’s movement, her favorite productivity tips, and a whole lot more.

I put together a support system, which is a really helpful thing to do in any job or part of your life.” – Betsy Myers

Links Mentioned:

My stake in the ground for this book was that leadership creates a feeling. And when people feel valued and included and heard and part of something bigger than themselves, they connect and are their best selves.” – Betsy Myers

Strategy & Consulting

Imagine… finally discovering someone who truly cares about your success and believes in you. Someone who has the knowledge and a step-by-step approach to help you get clear, confident and focused on your vision and dream as a woman entrepreneur. Learn More